Emotions run high for buyers and sellers during real estate transactions. This is where real estate appraisers come in. These professionals provide an unbiased assessment to answer the question: “How much is this property really worth?” Completing real estate appraiser training is necessary to become a licensed appraiser or to renew or upgrade your license. We scoured the internet for real estate appraisal classes online based on budget, location, learning styles, and reviews to help you complete your real estate appraiser course and pass your exam to kick-start a successful career in this industry.
- McKissock Learning: Best for course variety and availability
- Appraisal Institute: Best for postlicensing and professional development
- Van Education Center: Best for self-paced learning platform
- Appraiser eLearning: Best for continuing education (CE) in multiple formats
- The CE Shop: Best for mobile-friendly
The Close’s Top Picks for Real Estate Appraisal Courses Online
| McKissock Learning: Best for course variety & availability |
| ||
| Appraisal Institute: Best for postlicensing and professional development |
| ||
| Van Education Center: Best for self-paced learning platform |
| ||
| Appraiser eLearning: Best for continuing education (CE) in multiple formats | (CE only) |
| |
| The CE Shop: Best for mobile-friendly |
| ||
| Important note: Pricing varies by state, so visit each site and select your state for the most accurate information. | |||
McKissock Learning: Best for Course Variety & Availability
Why I Chose McKissock Learning
When it comes to appraisal education, McKissock Learning knocks it out of the park. The school is the only online real estate appraisal course provider on this list offering appraisal classes and CE courses in all 50 states. Its platform features high-quality coursework, a user-friendly dashboard, and a valuable annual membership option. The school’s appraisal course content is aligned and up-to-date with industry trends. Its instructors also have years of real-world experience and are highly knowledgeable.
💡Room for improvement: With all that McKissock offers, it could benefit from providing students with a pass guarantee and a mobile app, which would expand its offerings even further.
Additional Features
- Instructor-led Q&A live sessions: Talk to an expert weekly in the one-hour, instructor-led Q&A sessions. This feature allows instructors to fill in any gaps and provide deeper insights.
- Career resources: Access additional downloads, videos, learning aids, checklists, and articles with membership or through its Career Hub.
Appraisal Institute: Best for Postlicensing & Professional Development
Why I Chose Appraisal Institute
Appraisal Institute (AI) provides resources like qualifying courses, license upgrade courses, and CE credits to real estate appraisal professionals. Since AI is an organization, its packages are offered as memberships, including discounts on appraiser training courses. AI professionals can access various perks like the Lum Library, insurance plans, networking opportunities, leadership development, and business tools.
💡Room for improvement: Providing exam prep options or 1:1 coaching would help students feel more confident investing in Appraisal Institute courses.
Additional Features
- Green building resources: Various resources, such as downloadables, seminars, webinars, and courses, are centered around the valuation of sustainable properties.
- Scholarships: The Appraisal Institute Education & Relief Foundation (AIERF) offers a variety of scholarships, including the AIERF College Scholarship and AIERF AI Course Scholarship.
Van Education Center: Best for Self-paced Learning Platform
Why I Chose VanEd
Van Education Center (VanEd) provides fun and engaging online self-paced courses, allowing you to take your courses from the convenience of your home or workplace. VanEd also offers interactive elements like quizzes, exams, and exercises in every course. These exercises let you practice specific skills, add to your knowledge, and make the class more enjoyable.
💡Room for improvement: Offering live webinar classes that offer more real-time interaction with their instructors would allow a variety of learners to enroll in VanEd courses.
Additional Features
- Veteran discount program: All veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their partners receive 40% off on any real estate license course or package and 20% off on any continuing education course or package.
- Flexible payment options: Students can choose three options when purchasing course packages. You can pay in full or make two or three separate monthly payments.
Appraiser eLearning: Best for CE in Multiple Formats
Why I Chose Appraiser eLearning
Appraiser eLearning exclusively offers CE courses, which include unique classes like Learning Home Measurement, Sales Comparison Approach, and Appraiser Liability. The CE courses can be taken in online, self-paced, or live Zoom classes—available 24/7, anywhere, from any device. Appraiser eLearning also delivers free training and resources to its network of followers, like monthly webinars or weekly podcasts.
💡Room for improvement: Since Appraiser eLearning only offers CE courses, its education services would improve by offering comprehensive appraiser online courses.
Additional Features
- Recorded training webinars: Specialized webinars and virtual training sessions about various topics, include “How to Excel for Appraisers,” “Sensitivity Analysis Method,” and “Depreciated Cost Analysis.”
- Certifications: Students can enroll in various certifications and designations, such as the NAA Appraisal Review (AR) Certification Exam and Exam Prep and Earn Your Home Measurement Specialist Designation.
The CE Shop: Best for Mobile-friendly
Why I Chose The CE Shop
The CE Shop is known for its user-friendly interface and interactive courses. Its self-paced and mobile-friendly learning allows students to fit the courses into their unique schedules. The teachers are expert appraisers with decades of experience in the field, giving students the most up-to-date knowledge.
💡Room for improvement: The CE Shop offers qualifying and continuing education in many states but does not offer both in all states. It could benefit from adding both course options to all states.
Additional Features
- Online proctoring: The CE Shop partners with PSI to offer exam prep and online proctoring, making it easy to study and prepare for your exam.
- Appraisal Blog: The blog offers access to additional career resources, including a downloadable Appraisal Insights Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the requirements to become a real estate appraiser?
If you’re considering becoming a licensed real estate appraiser, it’s important to know that each state has its requirements. However, at least 75 hours of real estate appraisal classes must be completed before you can start working in the field. The good news is that you’ll find some great online appraisal schools with practice tests, reliable customer support, various learning formats, flexible course availability, and a user-friendly platform, all without breaking the bank. We’ve compiled the best real estate appraiser training online to make your required training a breeze.
What is the highest level of real estate appraiser?
Not only are there various types of jobs in the real estate industry, but there are also various levels of real estate licenses. The highest level of real estate appraiser is certified general appraiser. This status means that appraisers can value all various types of property.
What is the difference between a home inspector and real estate appraiser?
A home inspector evaluates a property’s condition, while a real estate appraiser assesses its value. Although both a home inspection and an appraisal can be waived, it is recommended to use both when purchasing a property. This ensures you understand the home’s condition and are not grossly overpaying.
What is the major difference between a certified appraiser and a real estate salesperson?
Real estate agents and appraisers both examine a property’s value to ensure that it is priced at a fair market value. The appraiser provides a detailed report of the property’s value so that the real estate agent can help facilitate the transaction accordingly. The real estate agent takes the findings and communicates them to their client, possibly renegotiating on their behalf to achieve the best possible outcome.
Methodology: How I Chose the Best Real Estate Appraisal Courses
Regarding our methodology at The Close, our team of licensed real estate professionals, writers, and editors created a weighted rubric that evaluates each appraisal education provider. Our experts have done hours of research to analyze dozens of real estate education providers to determine the best for our readers. The features we explored are essential for real estate agents to choose the course to obtain a license and start their career.
To evaluate the best real estate appraiser courses online, we considered these criteria:
- Pricing: 20% of the Overall Score
Pricing is based on the cost and availability of each online institution’s prelicensing and postlicensing, continuing education courses, and exam prep.
- Education: 15% of the Overall Score
Education is based on the course options available, including prelicensing, license upgrade, continuing education, and exam prep.
- General Features: 25% of the Overall Score
This consists of various formatting and learning styles for each course to meet the specific needs of the student as well as ease of course accessibility.
- Additional Features: 15% of Overall Score
We considered services that extend past licensure, such as coaching, training, and career assistance. We also considered whether the provider offers pass or refund guarantees for its courses.
- Customer Service: 5% of the Overall Score
We looked into the convenience and attainability of customer service for technical support and instructor assistance.
- Customer Rating: 10% of the Overall Score
We based this on customer feedback for each program, with particular attention given to reviews of the product and popularity of the provider, to certify the course meets user satisfaction.
- Expert Score: 10% of the Overall Score
Expertise in the field and firsthand experience with the providers allowed us to evaluate the standout features, value for the money, and ease of use for each school.
Your Take
Among all the real estate appraisal courses online, McKissock Learning emerged as the best option for real estate appraiser courses. It offers self-paced and live online classes, individual courses, and a membership package to access professional resources and tools. Plus, they are available in all 50 states and have excellent customer ratings with hundreds of thousands of reviews.
Let us know in the comments if you are ready to sign up for your real estate appraiser license!
Add comment